Isis is a deeply reactionary force which threatens democratic institutions and civil liberties across the Middle East, the Communist Party of Britain’s political committee heard on Tuesday evening.

CP international secretary John Foster told the committee: “As a result of the Isis military campaign, the governments of Iraq and the Kurdish autonomous region, along with Syrian Kurds and other minorities, face humanitarian crises of enormous proportions.”

Mr Foster pointed out that the rise of Isis, which styles itself Islamic State, has been facilitated by “equally reactionary regimes” backed by the US and Britain, notably in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey where substantial funds have been raised for the terrorist organisation and its predecessors.

“Isis is exploiting popular anger at imperialist control in the region over five generations and, more specifically, the consequences of the US and British invasion of Iraq in 2003,” he charged.

Mr Foster warned that further military intervention by imperialist powers, including Britain, would strengthen the ability of Isis to portray itself as an anti-imperialist force. At the same time, the US and its regional allies would try to use intervention in order to reconfigure territories, maintain imperialist exploitation of regional resources and allow Israel to pursue its agenda of illegal expansion.

Britain’s communists reiterated their call for aid to be channelled urgently through the United Nations to enable the Isis challenge to be met, including militarily, on terms set by people’s own democratic institutions in the region.

The CP political committee further insisted that Britain and the US must end their direct and indirect support for armed insurrection against the Damascus government and allow the UN to facilitate an interim peace settlement involving the Assad regime.